Casinos Reaching Saturation Points in Midwest

As they compete for business, states fight for tax revenue

Mike Thomas, a retired salesman for a truck manufacturer, says odds are that he'll stop driving 45 minutes five days a week from Ohio to play slot machines at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Instead, he and his wife, Sandy, expect to do their betting at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cincinnati, set to open next month about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from their suburban home. He doesn't think he'll be alone, noting that most cars in the Indiana casino's garage bore Ohio plates.

"They're going to lose a lot of customers," said Thomas, a 75-year-old in an Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirt and cap. "I'm not going to drive 40 miles if I can do as well there."